Primary First Issue 32

Issue 32 £5.00

by Rubie Clunie-Wicks aged 14

Primary First

The Journal for Primary Schools

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Primary First is the triannual published journal of the National Association for Primary Education (NAPE), which brings together everyone who has a concern for the learning of children from birth to 13 years. Members and affiliated schools work to improve education through the Early, Primary and Middle Years.

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About us

Contents

Editorial Dr Robert Morgan

Editorial

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Editorial Board Peter Cansell Stuart Swann Robert Young

Not Just for Black History Month

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Re-thinking the Early Years Funding Model

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Primary First journal is published three times per year by the National Association for Primary Education.

Why supporting Armed Forces children should be a priority for all schools

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Book review: What is Education about?

by Geoffrey Marshall

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Imagine this scenario

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We All Need Inclusion

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The difference new technologies will make to children’s physical and mental wellbeing in schools

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The Orange Table

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LetsLocalise

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Creative Writing Competition

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Primary First Unit 6/7 Arcadia Park Towers Business Park Wheelhouse Road Rugeley Staffordshire WS15 1UZ t 01543 257257 e r.a.morgan@gre.ac.uk ©Primary First 2021 Winter Issue No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial content the publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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Editorial Issue 32 begins on a distressing and truly heartbreaking note. Primary teacher, Sabina Nessa, from Rushey Green Primary school was found brutally murdered in Cator Park, Kidbrooke, London last month. Our sincere condolences go to her family, colleagues and children of her year 1 class.

The awful news about one of our primary school teachers is a painful reminder that misogyny and sexism are still widespread issues in modern society.

The BBC reported that the Femicide census (1) calculated that across the UK, 1,425 women were killed by men in the 10 years to 2018. There are two words to ponder: misogyny and femicide; and it is worth considering what this means for those of us involved in education.

According to gov.uk in 2019, women comprise 76% of all teachers in state-funded schools (2). It is not simply a case of addressing sexist and misogynist issues in the classroom by asking the remaining 24% of male teachers to play their part. In her powerful book ‘Everyday Sexism’, Laura Bates declares that sexism can be tackled by being ‘about people vs prejudice’(3). Perhaps this invites all members of a school community to deal with low level micro-aggressions, overt and covert misbehaviour, producing a sexism/misogyny policy. Misogynistic attitudes, beliefs, behaviour and direct action produces fear, possibly a fear that some may not understand, but needs rooting out of society.

This issue aims to look at varying aspects of inclusion. As I pen this editorial, Black History Month began in October, and some have been questioning whether that is truly inclusive. This year the University of Greenwich launched ‘Black History 365’ to change the narrative in recognition that Black history should not start and stop in Black history month alone. The rationale being that Black history is more than just a month of engagement and should take place 365 days a year (4).

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The argument for all round inclusion is allied to the idea that barriers should be removed, an example being societal attitudes. Do we see ‘other groups’ to be brought into our consciousness once a month or on certain days set aside for ‘celebrating’? I have no doubt that schools are promoting excellent examples of inclusivity and would welcome examples of such in future articles for publication.

Do military families only get a feature in November, English culture in April or the Holocaust in January?

Perhaps inclusion could be more than a working the way through the calendar or even a reaction to national or global events. On the other hand, would asking a teacher to accept an Afghan refugee in her classroom this term necessitate her learning a few phrases of Farsi or Dari be reactionary or could pre-empting such a circumstance with an awareness of current events be good inclusive practice?

I include a poem ‘orange table’ which explores ability grouping. Is the division of children into set groups the last bastion of anti-inclusive practice or a mechanism by which ‘adaptive teaching’ (5) can be fairly achieved?

Dr Robert Morgan Editor References (1) BBC (2021) How many violent attacks and sexual assaults on women are there? [online] https://www.bbc. co.uk/news/explainers-56365412 (see also https://www.femicidecensus.org/) (2) Gov.uk (2021) School teacher workforce [Online] https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/workforce-and-business/workforce-diversity/school-teacher-workforce/latest (3) Bates, L. (2014) Everyday sexism. London: Simon & Schuster.

(4) University of Greenwich (2021) Celebrating Black History 365 [Online] https://www.gre.ac.uk/articles/public-relations/celebrating-black-history-month-365 (5) DfE (2021) Core Content Framework (Adaptive Teaching (Standard 5 – ‘Adapt teaching’) https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework

Perhaps inclusion could be more than a working the way through the calendar or even a reaction to national or global events.

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Not Just for Black History Month Reviews: Books About the Windrush for the Primary Classroom Fabia Turner

Early years and primary educators should look beyond Black History Month as the sole opportunity to cram in learning about Black-Britons’ experiences. After all, their history is British history too and, as such, BlackBritish history should be spread more broadly throughout curriculum, as my young son astutely pointed out.

As Windrush Day is fast approaching on 22 June, I wanted to highlight a few recently published core texts to support teaching about this significant event in modern British history, from early years to Key Stage Two.

Reception and Key Stage One Coming to England by Floella Benjamin, illustrated by Diane Ewen. Published by Macmillan Children’s (2020).

In this inspiring picture book, adapted from her seminal autobiography of the same title, Floella Benjamin sensitively recounts her personal story 6

of moving from Trinidad to England with her family, as a child of the Windrush generation.

On opening the book, you are instantly transported to Floella’s homeland. Diane Ewen’s rich endpapers burst with bold colours, evoking a real sense of the warm Caribbean climate and luscious plant life. Children in the early years will love spotting and counting the butterflies and lizards tucked among the tropical foliage.

The lizard motif cleverly appears in most of the Trinidadian scenes, providing opportunities to practise prepositional language, for example, the lizard is on the chair, jumping into the river, and dancing in the air.

Through the text and exquisite illustrations, we learn about Floella’s wholesome upbringing in Trinidad: the family’s substantial home, delicious fresh food, schooling, and outdoor play during the hot and wet seasons. Life in Trinidad was happy and contented, not riven by desperation and hardship as is often the blanket Anglocentric perception.

Floella’s desire to meet Queen Elizabeth II is perhaps a fictional addition used to successfully drive the story forward to a satisfying payoff.

But this structural device also reminds us of the deep-seated loyalty many people in the British colonies felt towards the imperial motherland.

Importantly, Benjamin provides specific reasons for her family’s move to England: a newspaper advert and Dardie’s ambition to work as a talented jazz musician. England was by no means the family’s saviour: it presented an exciting change which they embraced optimistically.

Linking to geography, children in Key Stage One could study a contrasting locality in Trinidad, comparing the human and physical features with a location in the UK. Prompted by the suitcase references in the story, they could imagine packing for a holiday to Trinidad, deciding what clothes or items to include. They might also consider why Floella and her sister Sandra did not have warm clothes for their journey to England (geography).

The carefully selected memories — moving to a new house and making new friends — are themes that resonate with children as they are likely to have had similar experiences. Benjamin’s light-hearted, gentle writing style exudes her trademark positivity even while recalling awful moments of her early life in Britain. She masterfully retells harsh truths, including racial prejudice, but delivers them simply through a child’s innocent eyes. Her recollection of racial discrimination at school could be discussed in the context of bullying and how to tackle it. The playground scenes in the book demonstrate Floella’s unflinching determination to break through with her white peers, despite their initial negativity (PSHE).

As a joyful, honest depiction of one family’s journey, this perfectly pitched account will help young children grasp elements of the Black-British post-war experience, both good and bad.

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Lower Key Stage Two The Story of the Windrush by K.N. Chimbiri.

Published by Scholastic Children’s (2020) In June 1948, HMT Empire Windrush docked in Essex with expectant travellers — mostly Caribbeans — on an adventure to Britain. Over seventy years on these travellers are part of what is now called the ‘Windrush generation’, their historic arrival recently brought into focus by the deportation scandal.

Kandace Chimbri’s non-fiction text, republished

by Scholastic, is essential for teaching modern British history at Key Stage Two. Child-friendly books on this topic are generally lacking so this concise easy-to-read account is needed, not least because it challenges the whitewashed notion of poor Jamaicans, seeking a better life, being welcomed in by benevolent Britain.

Chimbri’s approach is more nuanced. She explains the multiple reasons Caribbeans of varying socio-economic status chose to relocate, from a desire to help their devastated imperial motherland after World War Two, to the pursuit of further education in Britain. We also discover that, although most passengers were Jamaican, people from other nations —Trinidad, Gibraltar, Burma, Barbados, Poland, and Britain — made the journey too, providing a sense of an internationally shared experience as opposed to ‘them and us’.

The book contextualises the arrival of the Empire Windrush within the broader sociopolitical climate before and after 1948. Chimbiri highlights Caribbeans’ prior existence in Britain as well as their huge contribution as armed services members during World War Two. She carefully describes the racism and harsh living conditions Black people endured and how their community-mindedness, determination, and entrepreneurial spirit helped them overcome difficulties for decades, within a predominantly white society.

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The text is presented in clear manageable chunks interspersed with colourful maps, sepia illustrations, and photos from various archives.

There is a useful glossary and timeline, at the back, to extend children’s vocabulary and deepen their understanding. Cross-curricular links include report writing (English), map skills or study of a Caribbean island, for example, Trinidad (geography), and learning about Calypso and famous Caribbean singers (music). The publisher Scholastic has produced detailed lesson plans to support use of this text with pupils (see Teacher resources below).

This engaging, sensitively told version of the Windrush story explodes long-held myths, challenging dominant perspectives of modern British history.

It places Carribeans, rightfully, at the forefront of their own story, authentically reflecting their experiences and elevating their achievement as Black-British Citizens.

Upper Key Stage Two Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah.

Published by Scholastic Children’s (2020) Windrush Child is the story of Leonard, a young boy whipped away from a wholesome Jamaican countryside life to urban Manchester, following a move to Britain with his mum in 1958. Leonard was just a baby when dad Morris voyaged to England on the Empire Windrush ten years earlier, to support his family working in the imperial motherland by invitation of the British government.

Leonard’s early years are safe and contented, soaking up grandma’s fascinating tales of Jamaican history, eating luscious fruit straight from the trees, and listening to animal calls in Maroon Town’s bush. But his blissful course is diverted when Morris asks the family to join him in Manchester, leading to a turbulent adventure for Leonard. Try as he might to adjust and fit in, England is just one huge disappointment. As well as the food and cold weather, shocking racial abuse affects Leonard deeply, and he yearns to return to his beloved grandma, and tranquil life back home.

Reading this powerful historical fiction from the Scholastic’s Voices series, is a refreshing and emotional experience. Benjamin Zephaniah speaks unsaid truths about what life was like for the children of the Windrush generation, amalgamating his first-hand experiences with the factual accounts of his contemporaries to create fictional Leonard’s captivating story.

This crucial book encaptulates everything that is painful and wonderful about the everyday experiences of the Windrush generation and their descendents.

Importantly the story is told from their perspective instead of using a top-down historical approach.

It’s a stark and timely reminder that the choice to come to Britain did not guarantee a happy ending for all legitimate Black-British citizens.

Fabia Turner is the founder of the Jericho Prize for Children’s Writing. She is also a former primary school teacher and educational book editor with a lifelong passion for children’s literature. With twelve years’ combined experience in education and publishing, she has advocated for the use of multicultural and multi-ethnic resources in UK schools while working in both sectors. In 2018, she created Candid Cocoa, an arts blog now focused on getting more Black children’s books into primary schools.

Teacher resources Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) teaching notes: Coming to England (free to download) https://clpe.org.uk/teaching-notes-comingengland The Story of the Windrush: lesson notes (free to registered subscribers) https://resource-bank.scholastic.co.uk/resources/447340 Windrush Foundation https://windrushfoundation.com/

The writing is brilliantly uncompromising in a way the makes the topics of racism and discrimination accessible for older children. The author’s prologue prepares readers for offensive words in the text — ‘golliwog’ probably being the strongest example. Teachers and parents should judge the suitability of the text based on the maturity levels of individual children or classes, though I will say the author’s use of this highly emotive language is restrained, precise, and contextualised.

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Re-thinking the Early Years Funding Model Maccs Pescatore

It is universally understood that the period from birth to five or six years is key for a child’s development of social, emotional and intellectual capabilities. At no other time in a person’s life are their brain’s synapses connecting on such a scale. The quality and level of development at this stage sets the framework for the child’s future attainment and his or her impact on society. This period cannot therefore be overlooked without significant consequences for the child and society.

The Current Model However, the early years is currently woefully undervalued by our Government. As it stands, in the UK, primary and secondary education is legally mandated and fully state-funded (albeit parents can opt to pay for private education).

Early years education, below the age of five, however, is neither. This has led the Government to adopt differing approaches to funding these two distinct services. While happy to take responsibility for education in primary and secondary age children, the Government eschews it for the early years. The principal responsibility for the care and education of children below five years rests with parents or carers and is predominantly delivered by private institutions, 10

with just a few state-maintained nursery schools.

In 2019, the Department for Education’s (DfE) last reported data set showed that there were 400 state- maintained nurseries in England serving 36,500 children of a total of 72,000 providers offering 1.7million childcare places.

To contextualise this financially, in 2020-21, the DfE’s own publication stated that it spent £31 billion on local authority schools and £24 billion on academy trusts to educate primary and secondary age children. It spent £14 billion on further and higher education. Spend on the early years was just £1.5 billion, equal to only 2% of the DfE’s total budget.

DfE funding is not paid to early years settings directly but given as a lump sum to local authorities who then dole it out. These funds have often been and continue to be dispensed inaccurately and improperly. Earlier this year, Freedom of Information requests from the National Day Nursery Association found that three-quarters of local authorities reported underspends of £62 million in Government funding for childcare places. The existing system is not properly delivering the current funding to providers who have delivered their service, essentially leaving them unpaid.

Supply and Demand So what is the funding model for early years provision? In effect, just as they might shop for a new car or dishwasher, parents wishing to access professional early years education simply go to the market to choose a supplier and buy a service. Early years education works on the same supply and demand basis as buying almost any household product.

On the supply side, early years provision has developed in response to the needs of each community. Providers include home educators (who have at least one child in their home) and nurseries that cater for a varying number of children depending on the size of the space and local need. There are many standalone nurseries as well as nursery groups or chains.

Due to a number of factors over recent years, the most significant of which is the increasing threat to financial sustainability, there is now a shortage of provision in an increasing number of communities. This supported by Coram’s Childcare Survey 2020 where it states that only around one-half of local authorities in England (56 per cent) have enough childcare for parents working full time.

Just a couple of months ago, the National Day Nurseries Association found that “year after year… nurseries and childcare settings (have been) struggl (ing) to make ends meet on the funding they receive from Government. Now… the pressures of the pandemic have been the final straw for even more nurseries.”

In setting a price, nursery owners must take into account the economics of the area in which they operate to establish what the market will bear.

Crudely, in more affluent areas, it is reasonable to expect that the amounts that parents are able to pay will cover the nursery’s costs comfortably. In more disadvantaged areas, the fees are likely to be lower.

On the demand side, a number of surveys over recent years have shown that a large proportion of parents describe nursery fees as expensive because they account for a sizeable proportion of their household income. Some simply cannot afford it.

Well documented, a full-time place costs parents, on average, £14,000 per year, making it completely unaffordable for many families.

Parents are forced to leave their jobs or work fewer hours, which has a negative impact on the economy and on levels of child poverty.

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Funding Support The Government does provide access to parents who are struggling financially under two main schemes; 15 free hours per week for parents of two-year-olds who meet the eligibility criteria, and 15 free hours per week available to all parents of three- and four- years-olds, with the possibility of an additional 15 hours per week for this age group available only to working parents.

There are conditions of eligibility which can restrict access or usefulness; for example, the fact that the 30 free hours are available for only 38 weeks during term time and not during the summer period, or that the times of day available do not necessarily suit working parents.

A new report this year from the Sutton Trust stated that the 30 hours per week funded childcare offer has “widened the gap” between disadvantaged children and their peers. There is no Government funding at all for children under two. In the worst cases, access is fully denied to those who most need it.

Flaws in the System The Government’s funding model works on an amount-per-child basis depending on location. This model mirrors that for primary and secondary schools, but per-child rates are typically lower than for school pupils. Service providers are not legally allowed to ask parents for additional fees for hours falling within Government schemes.

Pertinently, the mandated teacher-to-child ratios in the early years are very much lower; between one and four children for every one teacher, than in schools. These lower ratios reflect the time that is necessary for each age to ensure that each child gets optimal attention. Ratios play a key role when considering the costs of teacher salaries in running a nursery.

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In practice, an early years practitioner is ordinarily employed all year round rather than solely in term time because parents and carers require year-round support. They may also be required to carry out activities outside of teaching to help operate a nursery. Settings may not always have the maximum number of children allowed in the classroom at any one time. Government funding does not cover the costs of providing products such as wipes that are used in the classroom. These all complicate the financial landscape and add further pressures.

The insufficiency of the fee income means that salaries are low. The level of qualifications within the sector are typically lower than for primary teaching. Furthermore, continuing professional development (CPD) is often overlooked because of lack of funding. Investment in the sector is pressurised and low, career progression is hampered and teachers regularly become disillusioned and leave.

Research carried out by the Open University that the Montessori Group commissioned last year showed that over half of Montessori teachers earn less than £10 an hour. These rates are slightly higher than for the early years sector as a whole.

Warnings that the early years sector is at risk of collapse have been largely ignored and morale is low: earlier this year, research by Nursery World magazine found that one in ten childcare workers is living in poverty.

Fundamentally, there are flaws in the Government’s funding model. At best, the funding can be described as a contribution to the cost of providing teachers. As a result of low ratios, low rates per-child funding paid by the Government as part of for the free hours schemes, incomplete payments to nurseries from local authorities and the inability of nursery owners to ask parents to top up the fees to help cover costs, means that the amount that each teacher brings in is lower than is required to provide their services. It is simple maths. Further, the fees earned by nurseries outside the free 15- or

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30-hours categories are not sufficient to bridge the gap. Research by the Early Years Alliance found that there is a shortfall of £2.60 per child, per hour, for every 30-hours place between the cost of providing the service and the funding provided. Given this model, it is highly probable that nursery owners, particularly those with small numbers of children, fewer children per session than ratios permit and lower age groups (ratios are highest for youngest children) operate on small profit margins.

Treating early years education like a product or service in the traded economy can only lead to fewer teachers and nurseries unable to operate. A race to failure.

Fighting Back Along with our fellow sponsors of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on childcare and early education, the Montessori Group was pleased to support the letter from the group’s Chair, Steve Brine MP, to the DfE, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the Treasury in June this year asking that Government funds be efficiently and

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effectively distributed to ensure that each eligible child receives the maximum entitlement and that the future of early years childcare and education be rethought.

In this letter, we urged the Government to use the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review to provide a catch-up premium of £2,964 per child, per year, under the 30-hours entitlement to ensure the early years sector can play its role in meeting the needs of children and supporting parents getting back into work to help drive post-COVID economic recovery.

We also pointed out that the underfunding of places has caused a shortfall of availability which affects parental employment opportunities, further affecting the country’s economic recovery.

In summing up, we called on the government to conduct a meaningful review of early years funding covering the following areas: • A multi-year funding settlement to allow providers certainty and planning over the coming years.

• Developing a mechanism for funding allocation to address rising costs, especially ensuring providers can pay early years professionals the National Living Wage.

• Simplifying the funding system to ensure it follows the child and that parental understanding around the entitlement is improved, especially regarding two-year olds and tax-free childcare.

• Ensuring effective use of public money and maximum investment in children’s early education and care by minimising barriers like VAT and business rates on providers delivering publicly funded places.

• All allocations of early years funding to consider the needs of children with SEND. • Setting out a clear vision for achieving a wellqualified, high-status and better rewarded early years workforce.

The APPG is awaiting a meeting with the Secretary of State for Education as promised in response to the letter.

Just a few weeks ago, an e-petition signed by over 100,000 parents and carers asking for an independent review of early years funding sparked a debate in Parliament. But despite crossparty support, Vicky Ford, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the DfE, speaking on behalf of the Government, gave a categorical no to the petition’s request, and refused to acknowledge there was even a problem.

On the morning of the debate, a group of organisations, fronted by Pregnant Then Screwed and including the Fawcett Society, Black Mums Upfront, Mumsnet, and the Fatherhood Institute, published their survey of over 20,000 parents. Of the respondents, 97% said childcare in the UK was too expensive, whilst 96% believed ministers were not doing enough to support parents with the cost and availability of childcare.

clear, the data are clear. How much longer can the Government remain so unclear?

Maccs Pescatore – Chief Executive Officer of the Montessori Centre International (MCI) which is one of the UK’s leading providers of Montessori training to meet the needs of the Early Years communities in the UK and around the world. Her passion for the outdoors includes mountaineering, skiing, cycling and running which she marries with her interests in education in her non-executive roles.

References 1. DfE’s Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers: Main Summary, England, 2019 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/ uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/845080/SCEYP_2019_ Main_Report_Nov19.pdf 2. DfE’s 2020-21 Expenditure https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/1476/documents/13541/ default/ 3. Coram’s Childcare Survey 2020 https://www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/sites/default/files/Resource%20 Library/Coram%20Childcare%20Survey%202020_240220.pdf 4. NDNA’s announcement https://www.ndna.org.uk/NDNA/News/ Press_releases/2021/Closures_of_nurseries_increase_as_impact_of_ pandemic_takes_hold.aspx 5. Government funding schemes: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-2-year-olds https://www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-yearsfunding-2021-2022 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-yearsfunding-2020-2021/early-years-national-funding-formula-technical-notefor-2020-21 6. Sutton Trust‘s “A Fair Start” report https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/A-Fair-Start. pdf 7. Guardian article of survey fronted by Pregnant Then Screwed. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/sep/12/uk-failing-onchildcare-finds-survey-of-over-20000-working-parents

Society fares better when we all take collective responsibility for the outcome of each child.

When it comes to the next steps required to establish collective responsibility for the funding of early years childcare and early education, the professionals are clear, the parents and carers are

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Why supporting Armed Forces children should be a priority for all schools Louise Fetigan

There are thousands of children in UK schools who have a parent serving in the British Armed Forces. The exact number is unknown, but the latest figures suggest there are 79,000 service pupils in England alone. These children often experience unique challenges that are unfamiliar to their civilian peers such as being separated from their serving parent (or parents, in the case of dual-serving families) for long periods of time, as well as moving home and school frequently.

Military life is typically transient and unpredictable; many children thrive on the adventure, but the myth that all forces children are resilient all of the time is pervasive and unhelpful. Most will encounter harder times when they would benefit from additional support at home and in school. Latest figures suggest that half of military personnel worry about the negative impact of service life on their child and these issues were the driving force behind my personal decision to set up a UK charity dedicated to supporting military children back in 2011 when my own daughter struggled with the impact of repeated and sometimes concurrent Armed Forces deployment and separation.

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Our Shoes’, which attempted to capture the lived experience of Armed Forces Families across the UK in more detail, found that the vast majority of service children attend a school with fewer than ten military children.

My own experience - having worked with military families for the last decade and having also seen my own daughter be the only military child in a school - is that these are the children who often struggle the most. Being a member of a forces family is a lifestyle; it is not just a family member’s job. So, to be the only military child in a school can feel very lonely and isolating, especially if there is a lack of acknowledgement or engagement from teaching staff who may be dismissive or simply lack understanding and fail to see the need for targeted support.

A challenge for all schools

In 2011, Ousted noted that there is a correlation between Armed Forces life and service children’s wellbeing, particularly for families who are very mobile and during periods of deployments.

Schools are in a unique position to bridge the support gap for these children, particularly during times when families are coping with stress and change at home. Schools can be a safe, neutral space for children to share their worries and work through their emotions - if given the chance.

It is easy to assume that these issues only apply to schools with large cohorts of military children – those usually located next to military bases.

However, a 2020 Government review, ‘Living in

As well as emotional pressures at home, service children also face practical challenges in school.

The transition from one setting to the next is not always smooth and children can find

themselves struggling to catch-up and repeating or even missing out on essential topics from the curriculum. These issues are felt more acutely in secondary education, particularly in GCSE and A-Level years, but primary students who are not properly supported also risk being impacted.

Research is unclear as to whether service children’s attainment is statistically different when we look at the national picture (initial findings suggest it is not), but in my experience of talking to hundreds of individual families, lack of consistency in curriculum delivery is a problem and is certainly a common frustration amongst military families. The latest Tri-Service Attitude Survey shows that just under a quarter of Tri-Service families with school age children say they have experienced difficulties with their children’s schooling in the past year. Again, these challenges are usually magnified in schools with small numbers of military children who are not accustomed to supporting highly mobile students and do not have the systems and processes to better manage these circumstances.

The limitations of Service Pupil Premium In 2011, the Government introduced the Service Pupil Premium (SPP) in England to help plug the gap in support for service children. SPP payments have been marginally increased this year and the guidelines state that schools should

Schools can be a safe, neutral space for children to share their worries and work through their emotions - if given the chance. use the budget to offer ‘mainly pastoral support during challenging times and to help mitigate the negative impact on service children or family mobility or parental deployment.’

In schools with hundreds or military children I’ve seen fantastic examples of this budget being used effectively to recruit dedicated members of pastoral staff and roll out specific support programmes and initiatives. Yet for schools with one military child, £310 doesn’t stretch very far and can often end up lumped in with the Pupil Premium budget or simply used to fund the child’s breakfast or after school sessions resulting in a missed opportunity to have a beneficial impact on that service child.

The Government has recently launched a revised best practice guide for Service Pupil Premium, but none of the examples listed in the guide include schools with just one or two military pupils. In fact, the school in the guide with the lowest number of service pupils is 33, which would give them an SPP budget of more than £10,000. There is no guidance for how a school with a limited budget of just £310 or £620 is expected to support service students. As a charity, we truly believe that even small amounts of SPP 17

can be utilized beneficially to provide pastoral support for every service child. Yes, it takes a little more imagination, but it can be done.

Ofsted reportedly scrutinizes school spending of SPP but the suggested ways of spending the money are open to interpretation and can be a thorny issue amongst parents who often disagree about what schools should do and how SPP directly benefits their child. This is complicated further by a delay in when schools receive funding, which can leave them with a short-fall if they have a highly transient population of service students.

Recommendations without change During the last few years, there has been a flurry of research into Armed Forces life and subsequent recommendations at policy-level. On the one hand, it’s great to see the lived experience of forces families being better understood and a recognition of the need for targeted support reinforced by a growing body of evidence-based research. I really do welcome this and I am also pleased to be invited into these conversations as a representative for military children. However, as a parent to a service child myself, I also get increasingly frustrated at the lack of action and the slow speed of change.

My daughter was seven when I started this journey. She is now 17 and about to move into higher education. In that time, there have been countless research studies and recommendations published, but no Government-led nationwide initiatives or programmes that have fundamentally improved her school experience – it has simply been the luck of the draw depending on which school she has attended and how each setting has chosen to support service children, or not. This is true for lots of children whose parents served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Children who are now in their teens and twenties and did not always get the additional support they needed at the time because support for military children in education is inconsistent. It’s a postcode lottery 18

for families, with pockets of amazing things happening in some schools and nothing in others.

Appetite for action I know first-hand that there is a huge appetite for change, not just from military families but from teachers too. This was reflected in the ‘Living in Our Shoes’ report where one of the main challenges identified by teachers was a lack of understanding about the military lifestyle. Teachers want access to training, guidance and effective tools that can be deployed in the classroom to support students. At the moment this is a missing piece of the puzzle and while the conversation remains academic, there will still be far too many children who fall through the cracks. In order to achieve fair and consistent support for all service children within education then we need to provide access to evidence-based, tangible resources that any school can use, whether they have one service pupil or two hundred.

This is the reason that Little Troopers launched a dedicated At School programme in 2019 to try and reach and benefit as many military children as possible in schools today; not tomorrow.

Working alongside headteachers, teachers, educational psychologists, behavioural experts and play therapists we developed a primary school resource pack and Military Child Wellbeing Course template to provide the grassroots support that schools are eager to receive. An online resource hub and Military Child Wellbeing Course for secondary schools has followed and this June (2021) Little Troopers is running a series of free virtual workshops for primary schools across England to attend with their service pupils. We are also delighted to have just partnered with the Welsh Government to provide storybooks and wellbeing course templates to primary schools throughout Wales. The idea of every single service child in the country having access to immediate, military-specific resources is exactly what we set out to achieve and I’d love to see other nations do something similar, whether they chose to use Little Troopers resources or not.

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Supporting military children today, not tomorrow While we wait for Government action, what can schools be doing immediately to benefit military children? Well firstly, simply taking the time to understand what life is like for service students and their families is a crucial step. This is about recognizing that support is not just needed during times of crisis, but that day-to-day military life can be a rollercoaster of challenge and change.

Teachers can be tuned in to the ebbs and flows of each child’s circumstances and recognize that everyone responds to this life differently. All children have different needs at different times and teaching staff should be prepared to adapt to those needs.

For some children, they might struggle whenever their parent is away from home. For others, they only need support during long deployments or house moves. It is important not to forget about children who live ‘unaccompanied’ and only see their serving parent at weekends or less frequently; just because this is their ‘norm’ doesn’t mean they never find it challenging.

It’s also about spotting the signs that children are struggling. For some, it might manifest in behavioural change whereas for others it will be more noticeable in their school performance.

Secondly, I think all schools would benefit from representing military life more. At times, the Armed Forces community feels like a hidden community that is never talked about in school.

Schools can mitigate this by adding storybooks about military children to their library, featuring military uniforms in dressing-up boxes and incorporating stories and life experiences into classroom activities. Remember that from a military child’s perspective, talking about military life is not about promoting conflict or playing with weapons, it’s about fostering a feeling of inclusion and embracing diversity by sharing children’s different experiences. There is also huge value in encouraging service pupils to directly share their own stories and explore their emotions 20

- if they feel comfortable. This can be done in small groups of service pupils or with their civilian peers if appropriate. It might be a one-off workshop or better, a more regular meeting or session.

Strategic approach Longer-term, holistic support for service students should be delivered as part of a school’s strategic approach to early intervention and ‘whole school wellbeing’. Following the eight principles of the Department of Education’s wellbeing framework, schools should be: training staff; working more closely with parents and carers; enabling student voice, including Armed Forces life in teaching and learning to promote resilience and support social and emotional learning; identifying need; and offering targeted support - all under the umbrella of promoting and respecting the diversity of children who have parents serving in the British Armed Forces.

I strongly believe that given the right tools, military children can use their experiences to become confident, adaptable and resilient adults and that schools can and should play a big part in making this happen. Let’s stop seeing service children as ‘disadvantaged’ and start helping them to reach their full potential as individual children with individual capabilities and ambitions. Let’s stop mitigating the perceived negative impact of military life and instead embrace our Armed Forces community and the children that are a part of it. Let’s see this as an opportunity to provide a little extra support to tens of thousands of children across the UK that could have a huge positive impact on their wellbeing and empower them to better navigate challenge and change, both now and in the future.

Louise Fetigan is forces veteran and founder of military children’s charity, Little Troopers https://www.littletroopers.net/

References ‘The Pupil Premium Briefing Paper’, March 2021, House of Commons Library The Pupil Premium - House of Commons Library (parliament.uk) Ministry of Defence, ‘FAMCAS Tri-service continuous attitude survey’, July 2020, Tri-service families continuous attitude survey: 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Selous, Andrew, ‘Living in Our Shoes: Understanding the Needs of UK Armed Forces Families’, June 2020: Living in our shoes full report (publishing.service.gov.uk) Ofsted, ‘Children in Service Families’, May 2011: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/children-in-service-families

I strongly believe that given the right tools, military children can use their experiences to become confident, adaptable and resilient adults and that schools can and should play a big part in making this happen.

Ministry of Defence, ‘FAMCAS Tri-service continuous attitude survey’, July 2020, Tri-service families continuous attitude survey: 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Ministry of Defence’, Service Pupil Premium: examples of best practice’, September 2020 Service Pupil Premium: examples of best practice (updated 3 September 2020) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Selous, Andrew, ‘Living in Our Shoes: Understanding the Needs of UK Armed Forces Families’, June 2020: Living in our shoes full report (publishing.service.gov.uk)

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"An insightful book that asks us to reflect on what really matters about teaching and the child."

Michael Rosen "Written by one of Christian Schiller’s former students who became a leading primary head teacher, it describes a very important strand in the development of English primary education and shows how, given the right conditions, children are capable of amazing things – light years away from the trivialities of measurable test results. It's never been more pertinent."

Professor Colin Richards, former H.M. Inspector of Schools

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Book review

What is Education about?

by Geoffrey Marshall Geoffrey Marshall’s book is a timeline of his pedagogical and leadership journey within primary education in a series of articles dating from 1976 to 2019. This collection may on first appearances seem a wistful and nostalgic look of how ‘things used to be’ but as it progresses it becomes a sharper critique of what has gone wrong ideologically and who is to blame. That said, Marshall does offer pertinent advice and a warning for current teachers to see beyond the clouding of daily teaching to treat his memoirs as a clarion call.

Reading the whole book, the reader cannot fail to notice how the collection of articles can be summarised as a series of tensions. The book begins with a definition of education that realises the difference between the right of a child to have ‘choice’ within her learning versus ‘compliance’ for the jobs market. There is the discussion of the need for a ‘child-centred’ approach to learning to the demands of the imposed ‘curriculum’’ a need to understand ‘childhood’ and the ‘controlling’ aspects that children encounter in school. For teachers, Marshall asks them to consider what is meant by ‘education’ and how children are ‘educated’ a nuanced reflection that has a powerful resonance; and a recalling of how teachers

should be seen as a central figure within a constructivist-based pedagogy rather than how they appear to be powerless as indicators of a market-based system.

‘What is education about?’ tackles the core thread of how those who have an interest in education, namely parents, have been misguided by politicians as to what education is now about. The critique of neoliberal policy in education shows not only how the author feels a sense of loss but how a history of educational development can show politicians how education can be restored for the child and for employers who value problem solving skills, autonomy, collaboration, and outcomes.

Marshall’s philosophy is underpinned, among other factors, by the Hadow report (published in the year of his birth) and how that has served his vision of meaningful child-oriented learning.

The values that are expressed in the book are shared by NAPE, indeed a few articles were previously published in Primary First and this is a book worth reading if only to get teachers questioning current practice and whether there is any true merit in it.

Dr Robert Morgan

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Imagine this scenario Soli Lazarus

It is a rainy and windy day in a typical town in England. The pupils rush into their Year Three class at the start of the day.

Zane is late. He could not get up as he had a bad night’s sleep as his brain would not turn off. He is grumpy and missed breakfast.

Eva is late. She forgot where she put her homework. She cried all the way to school as she spent two hours doing it the night before as she wanted it to be perfect. She is now worried the teacher will tell her off.

First lesson is maths.

Zane cannot keep still on the carpet. He knows the answers as it is easy. He keeps shouting out but is being told by the teaching assistant to sit on his bottom and stop calling out. This is making him angry. He is now getting bored.

Eva does not get it. She keeps thinking about her cat who had a scratch on her paw. What if she has to go to the vet? What if she dies? She realises she has missed the teaching and all the instructions and does not know what to do. She follows what her friend is doing and thinks she can pretend that she understands. She is starting to get a tummy ache.

Soon it will be breaktime.

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Zane finished the sums quickly as it was so easy for him. But the teacher said his work was messy and she could not read it. She asked him to write it out again neatly. Zane got cross and thought that was a silly idea. He started to fiddle with his friend’s equipment and felt that he needed to move around. His name goes on the board which he thinks is embarrassing and unfair. The teacher told him if he did not finish his work he would not go out to play. Zane is getting crosser.

Eva is stuck. She does not understand the maths but does not want to ask for help as she is worried her teacher will realise she was not listening. So she asks to go to the toilet and hope she can waste enough time until break. She stays in there too long and the assistant comes to look for her. She is embarrassed.

Now it is breaktime.

Zane is kept in. He is now fired up with anger at how unfair this is. He needs to run around and feels like his muscles are being squashed. He does not feel like eating his snack as he is too upset.

Eva goes out to play but she does not like the feel of the wind and the rain and she is cold. So she sits by herself. She keeps thinking whether the teacher will tell her off for being in the toilet too long. She hopes someone will notice and come

and play with her. She does not feel like eating her snack as she is too sad and worried.

After break it is English. It should be PE, but the Hall is being used by another class.

Zane is still so cross and his body is desperate to move. He is really hungry as he has now missed breakfast and his snack. That will affect his concentration and behaviour. He has been asked to get his equipment ready but he cannot find his book and has lost the pencil he was given.

He throws himself on the carpet and by mistake bangs another child. He is told to apologise and to move to the front. He cannot focus as he is so full of frustration. He finds English hard as his thoughts are too jumbled and he cannot remember the instructions.

Eva thought it was PE. She was getting ready to get her kit but now she can see that everyone is sitting on the carpet instead. She is feeling dizzy as she is not prepared for this change. She likes English because has so many ideas in her head.

But when she reads the words, they float around and she cannot focus. She does not tell anyone so she tries to copy her friend. She finds holding a pencil difficult so her writing is slow and she cannot get all the ideas down on paper. The teacher does not know about the amazing ideas she has in her head. She cannot get started as she

is not sure what she should be doing. Now she is getting a tummy ache again as she is starting to get worried about the noise in the hall at lunchtime.

And so the day continues with similar difficulties for both Zane and Eva. It’s now hometime.

Zane runs at full speed to his mum. He starts swearing and being aggressive at how unfair it was that he got told off today. He has not picked up his homework sheet or the letter for the school trip next week. Mum knows she has got a challenging evening ahead of her and she is exhausted with it all.

Eva slowly walks out. She keeps tripping over her laces which she still cannot tie up. Mum recognises the face and knows that when they get home, Eva will explode like a coke bottle with the top released. No one at school would believe it. Mum knows she has got a challenging evening ahead of her and she is exhausted with it all.

In a few months’ time, Zane will be excluded for swearing at a teacher and Eva will refuse to come to school as she finds being there so hard.

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Now let us Take Two. It is a rainy and windy day in a typical town in England. The pupils rush into their Year Three class at the start of the day.

Zane is on time. His mum has received some support how to help with bedtimes and Zane now gets a good night’s sleep and gets up in time for breakfast.

Eva is on time. His mum has received some support how to organise Eva’s stuff so she can easily find everything. The teacher has differentiated her homework she now only spends maximum 20 minutes on it.

First lesson is Maths.

Zane sits with a buddy on a chair and is allowed to stand up if he feels he needs to stretch. He is given a whiteboard to write out the answers which he holds up quietly. He no longer needs to call out as his teacher responds with a thumbs up.

He feels really smart. He fiddles with the band on his wrist as that helps him concentrate.

Eva is sitting near the teaching assistant as staff have realised that sometimes she can lose focus and appear dreamy. The assistant uses visuals, a whiteboard and equipment to help her understand. The work is adapted so Eva can feel successful.

Zane finishes his work quickly as he is good at maths. He uses a book with large grid squares on each page, so he knows he writes each digit in a box. This keeps his work from being too messy.

As he has finished, he can choose a puzzle from the Challenge Box, which he completes standing up as he has been sitting for too long.

Eva is getting on with her work and feels confident. Everyone in the class uses a system to let the adults know if they need help. The pupils put a green cup on top if they are okay but transfer to the red cup if they are stuck. As everyone uses this system, Eva is not worried to

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ask for help. The assistant keeps checking that Eva is okay.

Now it is breaktime.

Zane dashes out to play as he loves being in the wind and rain. The teachers on duty knows to make sure Zane is okay and has equipment or friends he can play with. Everyone in the game checks they are clear on the rules so it is fair. Zane eats his snack.

Eva takes out her colouring book from home and some friends from her class all sit under the shelter with her. Eva eats her snack.

After break it is English. It should be PE but the Hall is being used by another class.

Zane uses a laptop for writing. He uses specialist software that helps him and sometimes uses voice recognition typing. To remind him what to do, the teacher has given him a checklist and broken down the task into small steps which are written on small notes. He may need to use his Movement Break card to go out for a walk to the office if he is beginning to feel restless. He also knows that he can go to the Calm Corner if things get too much for him. He puts on headphones and listens to some classical music and sets the timer for five minutes. Enough time to calm himself down.

Eva is okay that there has been a change. There is a visual timetable on the wall and the teacher told her as soon as she arrived at school that PE is cancelled. She likes English. She uses a laptop so her writing is quicker and she can get down all the thoughts in her head. She knows there is thirty minutes left of the lesson, as the teacher uses an online timer which helps her keep a track of the time. She is looking forward to lunch as she eats it in a quiet room with three of her friends. Sometimes she uses ear defenders.

It is now home time.

Zane picks up his homework and letter for the trip which is in his Going Home box by the door.

He runs at full speed to his mum to tell her he had a great day and was picked for the football team. Mum takes him to the park on the way home to use up his energy.

Eva skips out wearing her new shoes which are slip-on and so much easier for her than laces. She is holding hands with her friend and asks mum if they can go to the park together.

In a few months’ time, Zane, Eva, the teacher, the teaching assistant and the mums will all be delighted that things are going so well.

Zane was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD. He is Hyperactive / Impulsive Type. This means he may have difficulties with focus, concentration, he may be inappropriate, call out, be interfering, has no brakes, gets emotionally flooded, has difficulty taking turns and loses things.

Eva was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD. She is Inattentive Type. This means she may be dreamy, have a busy brain, makes careless mistakes, may mask her emotions, be a worrier or perfectionist, loses track of time and is hugely sensitive to rejection.

In addition, a pupil with ADHD may also have Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Autism or Sensory Sensitivities.

Just ask Zane and Eva.

Soli Lazarus is a former teacher and Special Needs Co-Ordinator SENCO with 30 years experience. Her son has ADHD. Soli supports families and delivers training to schools.

She runs a membership where she delivers webinars and coaching sessions. Soli is the author of the children’s book ‘ADHD Is Our Superpower’. Website: www.soli-lazarus.com

Making reasonable adjustments at school makes all the difference to a child with ADHD who will feel safe, secure and will flourish and thrive.

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We All Need Inclusion Lesley Berrington

I’m Lesley, Author of the ‘Hattie and friends’ series of inclusive books. I am NNEB qualified and former owner of Stepping Stones Day Care Ltd. in Lincoln.

My books promote positive images of disability to teach acceptance, respect and understanding for the differences we have.

I created ‘Hattie and friends’ when I couldn’t find suitable books to use in my nurseries.

Two things happened to make me realise there was a growing demand for inclusive resources.

• During an inspection at one of my nurseries an Ofsted Inspector asked if our resources reflected diversity. This made me question the resources we were using.

• I attended a ‘Disability Discrimination Act’ Training Course. It was clear from discussions with the Trainer and other Nursery Managers that there were very few inclusive books available at that time.

I started searching for more diverse resources for my nurseries. It was quite easy to find books and other resources featuring children from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, but disability was just invisible!

I found very few story books featuring disability.

The ones I did find made the disability ‘special’, I did not want that, I wanted to introduce disability without drawing attention to it.

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It was also important to me that the disability was not mentioned in the text, it was purely incidental so that the character was not defined by their disability.

After further research I decided that I could meet this growing demand and Hattie was born!I created ‘Hattie and friends’ around 15 years ago and, sadly, over that time I’ve seen very little change in the way we present disability in our society.

Teachers and Childcare Professionals understand the need and importance for positive images of disability, so my books have been very well received and widely used by them.

Unfortunately, I think we still have a long way to go to educate our wider society that books like mine are for ALL children. When I talk to people about my books they often assume that they are for disabled children until I explain the benefits for all children.

Yes, disabled children do need to see characters like themselves in story books, to give them a sense of belonging, make them feel valued and build their confidence and self -esteem.

My message is that ALL children need to see disabled characters in story books and on television because disability is part of everyday life so it should be included in our media.

There are more disabled characters in books and on television than there were 15 years ago but still not enough. I believe every child should own books which include some disabled characters, this will be a small but important step towards improving attitudes to disabled people who face daily struggles from abuse.

Some parents may not have considered being more inclusive when they buy toys, books etc. so we need to raise awareness by having more choice in mainstream shops. How often have you seen disabled characters when buying dolls, puppets, games, jigsaws?

It can also be difficult to answer children’s questions about disability so parents may avoid inclusive resources for that reason. We need to educate parents and help them to overcome any insecurities they may have. I have published some notes in the back of my books to help, support, and encourage parents to openly discuss any questions raised.

“The important message is that all children can be friends and have fun, abilities are not important.

All young children accept differences, their curiosity will raise questions and they develop attitudes from the answers they receive. We must show, through our attitudes and actions, that we value all children equally.’’

Over 8,000 ‘Hattie and friends’ books are now being used to promote positive images of disability all over the UK. I promote my books in many different ways including groups on social media and often have competitions to widen the audience for them. It is a way of my books finding their way to bookshelves where you probably would not usually find them.

“The important message is that all children can be friends and have fun, abilities are not important. All young children accept differences, their curiosity will raise questions and they develop attitudes from the answers they receive. We must show, through our attitudes and actions, that we value all children equally.’’

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I think this feedback perfectly illustrates how many parents think about inclusion:

I was lucky enough to win a copy of a day at the zoo in a recent competition. It arrived really promptly and was so thoughtfully put together.

Your kindness and passion really shone through not only gifting me my book but sending a special offer for the other books at a discount. I’ve shared this story now with my two year old a couple of times and he is so interested and enjoys the bright pictures. Whilst he never mentions or asks why there is a little boy in a wheelchair I know behind the scenes he is just seeing another character.

I’ve recently reflected heavily on the books I expose him to and tried to make this more varied and inclusive, this book certainly does that. If we don’t expose children to the wonderful diversity in the world then how can I expect him not to be a bit phased when he meets someone different to himself for whatever reason. I want to raise a child who sees another child, someone not defined by any disability or characteristic. This book was perfect, thank you.

This parent is obviously very keen to provide diverse and inclusive books for her child now that she has had the opportunity to think about the benefits. It is not that parents do not want to be inclusive, maybe they just have not even thought about it.

We need to raise awareness and ask - How inclusive is your bookshelf?

We live in a time where images are so important, where we are constantly bombarded with how we should look. If children see more disability and they receive a consistent message of respect and acceptance for the differences we have, they will see past the disability and understand that we are all unique individuals. This will build the self confidence and self-esteem of all children.

The Channel 4 programme, ‘The Last Leg’ is a great example of presenting disability in a humorous way that is accessible to all adults.

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Initially this programme aired during the 2012 Paralympics and was so popular it became a regular show to discuss the news of the week.

Their ‘Is it OK?’ segment encourages the public to ask questions without fear of judgement. This is a great way to educate!

During the Paralympic Games we all support Team GB with respect for every athlete’s dedication and determination. It is a time when sport really unifies the nation and we are all on the same side. Disability is exciting and cool!

Every time I feel excited that this is the push that is needed to make inclusion go mainstream.

Unfortunately, a few weeks later the spotlight is turned off again.

Progress is disappointingly slow!

So, what will the future bring?

I truly hope there will be a massive increase in inclusive resources in people’s homes, more disabled people visible in television programmes and films. Not just as a ‘box ticking exercise’ but really breaking down barriers and changing attitudes towards disability in our society.

I would love to hear your comments.

Lesley Berrington www.hattieandfriends.co.uk E-mail: lesley@hattieandfriends.co.uk Twitter: @Hattiesfriends Facebook and Instagram: @Hattieandfriendsauthor

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The difference new technologies will make to children’s physical and mental wellbeing in schools Anthony Mcbride

Physical activity among pupils fell dramatically during the pandemic, with more than 31% of children undertaking less than 30 minutes of exercise a day (1). This is a worrying contrast to Ofsted’s recommendations that children should engage in exercise for an average of at least 60 minutes per day across the week (2).

The immediate and long-term health benefits of physical activity are indisputable and there is a wealth of evidence to demonstrate that high quality physical education lessons reduce the symptoms of anxiety, depression and improve cognitive functioning in young people. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.

In her speech at the Youth Sport Trust Conference, OFSTED chief inspector, Amanda Spielman said: “Schools and colleges have a vital role to play in inspiring the next generation to lead healthy, active lives and to build resilience.

A good PE education can take each child down different pathways to find what they’re really good at. And on a bigger scale, it can take the whole of humanity forward.”

As a result, new technologies are emerging that will allow teachers to engage children in a more active curriculum and research has found that

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school closures in 2020, led to an explosive 71.5 per cent growth in the UK education technology sector (3).

One of these new technologies is myphizz, a platform that myself and four colleagues (all qualified teachers and educational experts) have designed and built to help schools raise the quality and frequency of physical activity in a sustainable way.

The app encourages children to engage in a more active, healthier and happier lifestyle, providing them with the opportunity to set exciting challenges for one another and take part in physical activities that they enjoy. Challenges, or ‘phizzes’ as they’re called, can range from a 100m sprint to completing as many star jumps as possible in 15 seconds.

Launched in schools nationwide in September 2021, the app utilises a live leaderboard that provides children with the ability to set ‘phizzes’ in the classroom and compare results across the school, as well as nationally.

Writing in TES recently, Dr Tara Porter stated: “Finding a sport or form of exercise that they will pursue for the rest of their lives will have incalculable benefits in their mental and physical health, and reduce the burden on the NHS. Exercise is the single most important factor in warding off depression.”

Backed by a £320 million investment from the government, the Primary PE and Sport Premium encourages children to play more sport, increase their social skills and improve their physical activity after lockdown. A school’s funding can be used to invest in tools such as myphizz, which will not only make pupils more motivated to exercise, it will also provide teachers with tangible data to show Ofsted that they are taking responsibility for pupils’ wellbeing.

The app, which runs through secure schools networks and is only visible to school communities, has undergone numerous successful trials in schools earlier this year to test its ability to motivate children.

Siobhan Roe, teacher at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, which has been trialling the app said: “myphizz has been a huge hit amongst our year three pupils - there’s been such a buzz in the classroom with every single pupil involved in

creating, sharing and accomplishing activities.

The children have rushed home to tell their parents all about their ‘phizzes’ and we can’t wait to see the rest of school enjoy it.

“The platform is so easy to use and I’ve found the images to describe the ‘phizzes’ really useful as it helps a lot of the children with their reading and spellings as they compare words and pictures.

The mix of activities that can be set is incredible - we’ve used myphizz for practicing our times tables as well as challenging each other to do as many press-ups as possible! myphizz has opened up a world of fun activity and movements for our children.

It’s clear that major advancements in technology can facilitate student wellbeing and act as an enabler for inclusive practice; involving all children in physical activity, regardless of their abilities. myphizz has recently been endorsed by The World Championship gold medallist and former World Junior Champion, Adam Gemili who felt compelled to get behind the app as he’s passionate about combating sedentary behaviour and improving mental wellbeing in young children, exacerbated by lockdown restrictions.

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The use of technology assisted resources can also prove useful and act as a tool for self reflection.

The benefits of apps such as myphizz, is that they allow teachers to monitor progression, and data gathered can be used to inform and tailor future planning and meet individual children’s needs. myphizz provides teachers with access to a functional control dashboard, which measures individual pupils’ activity levels and their development and progression. myphizz is available to download from the Apple App Store, Google Play and can be accessed as a web-based application on PCs, mobiles and tablets, To find out more about myphizz and register for a 30-day free trial visit www.myphizz.com.

Issued on behalf of myphizz by Lucky North, for further details please contact: Jennifer Ogden T: 07907181487 E: jen@luckynorth.co.uk Lucy Baird T: 07970232268 E: lucy@luckynorth.co.uk References Source 1: Children’s activity levels down but many embrace new opportunities | Sport England Source 2: UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines (publishing.service.gov.uk) Source 3: 4 edtech trends to look out for in schools next year | Tes News Source 4: Exercise for children: How physical fitness benefits the brain (parentingscience.com) Source 5: The national curriculum in England - Framework document (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Anthony Mcbride, qualified teacher and co-founder of myphizz, shares his thoughts on the role technology can play in improving children’s physical and mental wellbeing in schools.

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About myphizz Built by four teachers, turned entrepreneurs, myphizz is an exciting new platform to support schools in improving the mental and physical wellbeing of pupils.

The app encourages children to engage in a more active, healthier and happier lifestyle, providing the opportunity for them to take part in physical activities that they enjoy and set exciting challenges for one another.

The technology, which runs through secure schools networks and is only visible to school communities, can be accessed via PC, tablets or mobile phones. Teachers have access to a dashboard where they can view pupil activity, determine what is becoming popular and monitor the school growing healthier as a community. www.myphizz.com

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The Orange Table

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I sit on the Orange Table.

Not the Red or Blue or Green.

This is where Miss has put me and I think I know what it means.

It means my writing’s not too good.

It means I cannot spell.

I don’t know if they know I know but I only know too well.

I sit on the Orange Table.

It’s where I’ve sat all year.

I can’t do Maths or Science they say, and so they put me here.

I’m not so hot at school work, which means I’m not too smart so I sit on the Orange Table so I can be kept apart.

I sit on the Orange Table.

They say that this is best.

But they can’t see the orange fire that burns inside my chest.

By Joshua Seigal www.joshuaseigal.co.uk I Bet I Can Make You Laugh (Bloomsbury) WINNER 2020 Laugh Out Loud Award.NEW BOOK: Welcome to My Crazy Life (Bloomsbury) Follow me on Twitter: @joshuaseigal Sign up to my blog: www.joshuaseigalpoet.blogspot.com 37

LetsLocalise A state-of-the-art digital platform intends to revolutionise the way communities engage with their local state schools, bringing much needed support to teachers.

Phil Murphy

When the precocious son of the founders of LetsLocalise started at a prestigious state school in Berkshire, he was shocked and more than a little disappointed by what he found.

Despite the limitless energy and creativity of the teaching staff, he found the school to be in a shabby condition, its equipment often aged or broken and the opportunities to engage pupils in external trips and activities that might broaden their horizons to be limited at best and nonexistent at worst.

The conversations at home triggered by these observations led to an idea with the potential not just to transform the prospects of state schools; it also offers an opportunity to strengthen local communities, by bringing multiple people, organisations and businesses into close relationships with their local schools.

The lightbulb moment for Gaurav and Divya Garg, based in Wokingham in Berkshire, came when surveys prompted by their son’s observations showed that in excess of 60% of people in a given community wanted actively to help their local schools. They just had no idea how to do so. What if this reservoir of goodwill could be tapped into and piped into local schools?

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Given the background of the Gargs and friends and colleagues in innovation, technology and community activities, the solution emerged in the shape of a digital platform, LetsLocalise, that could highlight the demand in schools and connect it to ‘supply’ out in the community. A critical perception in the framing of the idea came in the realisation that support for schools needed to come in a variety of formats. Yes, financial support would be important but so too would be volunteer time, expertise, work experience – in fact, anything that would help pupils get a clearer window to the world beyond the core curriculum.

The idea behind the concept is that state schools register on the platform and, between them, headteachers and their teaching teams identify the programmes and activities that they would most like to pursue but currently cannot, due to insufficient financial or human resource. A typical selection for a single school might be a campaign to raise funds for basketball hoops, a request for help with painting and decorating, an appeal for volunteers to act as exam supervisors, an appeal to experts to talk about their chosen profession and a request for internships or work experience opportunities for pupils.

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Once a school has posted the details of these programmes on the site, individuals in the local community, local organisations and local businesses are approached and asked to register on the platform too. Those registering can then browse through the range of requests across a range of schools and choose how best they can help. A critical stage in the development of these school-community connections is in finding ways of reaching beyond pupils’ parents and bringing in support and resources that would not normally find their way into schools. Reaching the very people who said they wanted actively to help but did not know how.

“Like all brilliant ideas, the LetsLocalise concept is rooted in simplicity. Headteachers can see that tapping into that reservoir of goodwill that we are convinced exists out there in every community is a ‘no brainer’. Why would a school not want to tap into the support networks that can be constructed from their local communities?” says co-founder, Gaurav Garg.

LetsLocalise has managed to break down ways of supporting schools into neat categories, which can be easily navigated on the Website. So, for example, there is Pledge a Penny, Pledge a Minute, Pledge a Resource, Working with Schools, Expert Time and Corporate Connect.

“From the retired person with years of experience but at risk of social isolation to local companies looking at how best they can invest in their local communities, LetsLocalise can offer a fail-safe means of engaging. Pledgers who sign up can do so confident that the programmes they are supporting are priority programmes for their local schools. This is not chipping into a charitable pool, perhaps unsure about how one’s support is going to be used.”

No headteacher or teacher will ever have had access to a platform with the scope and range of LetsLocalise in their professional lives. It is a multi-sided platform that enables multiple participants to engage at the same time. So, instead of Websites through which schools can simply share information with their pupils’ parents, LetsLocalise can bring individuals, organisations and businesses onto the platform simultaneously, creating multiple connections and offering scope for engagement between schools and would-be supporters in a wide range of relationships.

The LetsLocalise story moved from the drawing board to the real world in November 2019, when the founders and the team of colleagues and supporters they had built up, launched a pilot across seven schools in Berkshire. In fact, the company had to cap the number of schools it first engaged with because virtually every headteacher to whom the idea was outlined wanted to participate.

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For Divya Garg, who has a strong background in community schemes, the way in which the LetsLocalise concept can strengthen communities is as exciting as the support it can bring to schools.

The Gargs have no illusions about the challenge of reaching beyond the parent cadre and bringing in a wider range of pledgers; but they have the support of experts from the fields of digital networks, behavioural science and innovation to help them navigate this. Covid-19 came at a frustratingly inconvenient time for LetsLocalise, checking the momentum they were building through their pilots but the intention is to expand the number of schools involved shortly after normal service is resumed. Another key to success will be in launching more widely its appeal to businesses through the Corporate Connect feature.

“We believe that Corporate Connect can be a real game-changer. It enables companies looking to support local schools to use their social investment funds but, as importantly, their knowledge, expertise and work experience opportunities to help create lasting, deepening relationships that will be of mutual benefit to schools and business,” says Gaurav.

Even before the Covid-19 outbreak, despite claims from across the political spectrum that schools would be better funded in future after 10 years of austerity, few people involved in state education expected to see radical change any time soon. Now, given the inevitable economic impact of the virus, it is likely to be even longer before a dent is made in the 8% fall in spending per pupil over the last decade and headteachers’ estimate of a £5.7bn gap between need and funding.

In this environment, it makes sense for schools to tap into all the external support that is available out there. In an ideal world, all state schools would be properly funded and the personal development programmes of our pupils would reach well beyond the core curriculum out into the world beyond the classroom. But we are not in an ideal world, so it is to initiatives like LetsLocalise that we need to turn. If the resource and the support is out there, who wouldn’t want to access it?

“Our pilot in Berkshire is just the start of what could be a major community initiative. We want to expand to cover all state schools in Berkshire, then all state schools across the UK. We will then look to how we can roll out similar programmes for other public services – starting with the NHS,” says Divya Garg.

“Our first ambition is to improve the lot of 1m British schoolchildren…but that is just the start of the revolution!” she says.

“I would say it’s a great opportunity to link in with your community, to work with great people. It’s a unique opportunity because not many people step forward and give up their time like this company does, so I would say grab hold of the opportunity, publicise it lots, be patient and stick with it, and work hard with the team around you because they’re there to help you.”

Shirley Austin, Headteacher at The Forest School, Winnersh, Berkshire.

“I think LetsLocalise is just such a fantastic project. It does take time to get it up and running – but once it is up and running, keep pushing. At the end of the day, the only people that are going to benefit are the children of the school so it’s definitely a worthwhile project. I would recommend it to anybody that’s looking to get involved with them. For me, it’s a no-brainer to get involved with LetsLocalise and we’re very excited about the future.”

Simon Cope, Headteacher at Wildridings Primary School, Bracknell, Berkshire

(LetsLocalise is a service offered free of charge to all state schools. The Website can be found at www.letslocalise.co.uk)

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Creative Writing Competition

The first ever Inspired by Nature creative writing competition took place in the summer term of 2021. The competition was run by the Natural Curriculum and the Educational Recording Agency, with the support of NAPE. Pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 were asked to produce a piece of creative writing in response to a short video clip from the award-winning Natural Curriculum website (naturalcurriculum.co.uk).

The competition received over 1,700 pieces of written work. The entries were incredibly inventive and creative – one pupil even wrote a short story from the perspective of a rhino sanctuary fence! We are delighted to present a small selection of pupils’ work here.

The winning classes, who each won £500 for their school to spend on information technology, were: Ocklynge Junior School, Eastbourne – The Swamp Class (Year 3); St. Peter’s C.E. Primary School, Ardingly – Robin Class (Year 4); William Ransom Primary School, Hitchin – Chestnut Class (Year 5); and St. John’s CoE Primary School in Lacey Green – NM/TT Class (Year 6). Congratulations to the winning classes and very well done to everyone who took part! If you would like to read all the winning work for each year group, you can do so at https://www. naturalcurriculum.co.uk/about/news/updates/.

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The Natural Curriculum is home to almost two hundred inspiring grammar lessons for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. This year, the resource has won two awards at the Education Resources Awards (for ‘Primary Resource or Equipment – ICT’ and ‘Free Educational Resources’) and the 4* Teach Primary award for free resources. The grammar lessons, all based on captivating natural history clips from the BBC, contain word challenges, clear explanations of the grammar that is being learned, whiteboard challenges, writing ideas and a downloadable worksheet. The website also has Home Learning resources for Years 1-6, and has also just launched climate change playlists and a pilot of new maths resources.

Here are the entries from St Peter’s C. E. Primary School, Ardingly.

Tilly vs. Hares

Tilly vs. Robo Bunny

By Eleanor H, Year 4

By Elijah B, Year 4

The golden eagle shall catch its prey,

Tilly was a big bird

Is it a hare that it will slay?

With the loudest screech ever heard

Light and fast she soars in the sky,

She chased a Robo Bunny

Lean and mean she squawks a war cry.

When it was nice and sunny

Yet she never, ever gives in,

Now isn’t that just absurd

Vole or hare she’ll get her din.

She has got the hare in her sight, Hare though will give a good fight.

Agile and fast the hare will run, Run until the race is done.

Eagle and hare are they a good match?

Soar Tilly, the hare you can snatch!

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Robo hare vs. eagle

Robo Hare vs. Tilly the Eagle

By Imogen P, Year 4

By Zach, Year 4

The mist laid thickly over the moor like a blanket,

Tilly the eagle and her owner are taking a trip to Scotland. Tilly takes off locked onto her prey Robo Hare. The. Race. Is. On. “I’m coming little hare,” Tilly warned.

The hare on nimble foot, bounced from rocky outcrop to rolling heather, The eagle’s wings cut through the cool autumn breeze as he effortlessly circled in the sky, He soared through the air, the race was on, The thick mist was not enough to hide the eagle’s prey, As the mist began to clear, the hare leaped over the damp grass, the dew glistened in the early morning sun, The eagle soared in the air and swooped down, He grabbed the hare with his talons, the race was won.

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“Ha, you think you can catch me eagle!” Robo hare said airily. “You’ll never be able to catch me, I’m motorised!” yawned Robo Hare.

“You think I’m not going to catch you! I’m an eagle one of the fastest birds on Earth.” Tilly answered surely.

“Here I come hare almost got you!” Tilly says irritatingly.

As Tilly swooped down with her talons facing forwards, Tilly exclaims, “Gotcha!”

“Nooo” Robo Hare cries sadly.

Eagle Eyes

By Zach, Year 4 Come on, I’ve got to get the Robo-rabbit, It’s my training for the wild, It’s my one and only favourite task, To kill that scamp and beat him up, To show him who’s boss here

The satisfaction of my claws sinking into soft and bloody fur coat, I’ve got him, he can’t get away.

My owner calls me back with my kill, He says, “Well done you, you deserve this.”

He gives me some birdie treats and a little flesh to eat.

We’ve just finished preparation time, Now my aerodynamics come in use, The flying time is here.

The wind rushes past my face, My wings spread out wide, I’m gaining, I’m gaining on him… … He’s changed direction now, Come on, focus, My eyes trace his tail.

I stretch my legs … … I’ve reached him now.

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